ATPnovel 22. You dare to solicit bribes from me?
22. You dare to solicit bribes from me?
"Lieutenant, I'll handle the supplies, but the discipline crackdown must begin immediately."
Dugen instructed: "Arrange the troops in formation, count the number of soldiers, and register the casualties. Anyone who lies down without cause or is negligent or lax will be dealt with according to military law! Wounded soldiers will be placed in a unified manner, registered, and await further medical treatment. If I return from the regimental headquarters with supplies and I do not see a clean and orderly camp, then you, as a lieutenant, may lose your position."
"Yes, sir." Lieutenant Joffrey didn't dare to slack off in the slightest and immediately turned to gather the soldiers. "You lazybones, you slobs, get moving! My old grandmother back in the countryside works harder than you... Do you want to sleep in a cesspool like a pile of shit? Get up now..."
Joffrey brandished his whip and lashed out with his boots, kicking the soldiers lying in the mud and pulling them up one by one to get to work.
Dugan watched Joffrey's busy figure and said to Tom beside him, "Tom, come back to headquarters with me. The soldiers of the Second Battalion are having trouble even with basic food and clothing. Without supplies, even the strictest military discipline is useless. We must go to the quartermaster and get back the supplies we are owed."
"Yes, Major!" Tom responded immediately, and the two mounted their horses again and galloped toward the regimental headquarters.
Upon arriving at the regimental headquarters, Dugan led Tom directly to the quartermaster's tent.
Quartermaster Lieutenant Colonel Leo Wood sat at the table, leisurely sipping tea and fiddling with a gold coin in his hand, looking quite content.
Upon seeing Dugan enter, Leowood slowly raised his eyes, a fake smile appearing on his face, and said in a perfunctory tone, "Oh, it's Major Dugan, a rare guest indeed."
Dugan cut to the chase without any pleasantries: "Lieutenant Colonel Leowood, I'm here to collect supplies for the 2nd Battalion of the 94th Infantry Regiment. The 2nd Battalion just suffered a crushing defeat, and the soldiers haven't received pay or rations for two months. They don't even have basic shoes, socks, or tents. I request that you allocate supplies as soon as possible, Lieutenant Colonel."
Upon hearing this, Leowood's smile remained unchanged, but he began to ramble on, his words carrying a hidden meaning: "Major Dugan, I understand your difficulties. But as you also know, supplies are scarce at the front, and all units are scrambling for them. You must also understand my difficulties."
Dugan instantly understood what he meant—this was an open solicitation of a bribe.
A surge of anger welled up inside him, not because Dugan was inherently righteous, but because he felt Leo Wood was being shameless.
If he takes good care of himself, Leowood will naturally reap the rewards; the young master of the Connaught family isn't short of a little money for a reward.
However, if you openly solicit bribes, that's a different story.
I may be rich, but I'll still give the meat buns to the obedient dogs.
Dugan said coldly, "Lieutenant Colonel Leowood, allocating supplies is your job."
Leowood's smile faded, and his tone turned cold: "Major, you know that supplies are scarce right now. If I give your 2nd Battalion an extra portion, the other units will receive less. There has to be an explanation, right? Otherwise, what if other lieutenant colonels come to me asking for supplies? How am I supposed to explain that to them?"
"An explanation?" Dugen couldn't hold back any longer, slamming his fist on the table. "As the quartermaster, you've been cutting supplies for the soldiers on the front lines and lining your own pockets. What explanation do you need? Let me tell you, you'd better obediently prepare the supplies for me and serve me well, and I certainly won't treat you unfairly in the future. Today, you have to give me these supplies, whether you like it or not!"
Leo Wood was intimidated by Dugan's imposing manner. After a moment of stunned silence, his expression grew increasingly grim: "Major Dugan, don't go too far! Without my approval, even if you're the acting battalion commander, you won't get a single piece of supplies from here!"
"Fine, very well." Dugan sneered, no longer wasting words with him, and turned to leave. "Since you refuse to cooperate, I'll go find Colonel Stevenson."
Leowood panicked and his face turned extremely ugly, but he dared not delay any longer. He could only reluctantly arrange for his men to count and allocate the military rations, pay, clothing, tents and weapons needed by the Second Battalion.
Dugan personally supervised Tom's checks against the list to ensure that the supplies were in full before directing the soldiers to transport the supplies to the Second Battalion's assembly point.
"I'm always the one who gives tips when I'm in a good mood; no one has ever dared to ask me for a bribe."
Dugan returned to his tent and took out the letter his friend Gleason had given him before he left.
Gleeson's father was a senior British general. Colonel Richard, who was in charge of the logistics of the British forces in India, was his father's old subordinate. Now he was in charge of the military supplies of the Mysore Governorate and held great power.
When seeing Dugan off, Gleeson specifically instructed him that if he encountered any problems he couldn't solve, he could take this letter with him and seek help from Colonel Richard.
Dugan wrote a letter detailing how Lieutenant Colonel Leowood had withheld supplies from the front lines and solicited bribes from him. He earnestly pleaded with Colonel Richard to intervene, severely punish the corruption, and give the soldiers on the front lines justice.
After finishing writing, he sealed Gleeson's letter of introduction together with his own and arranged for a reliable messenger to deliver it to Colonel Richard in Bangalore overnight.
As the days went by, Dugan supervised Lieutenant Joffrey in enforcing discipline and training soldiers, while also using allocated supplies to improve the lives of the Second Battalion soldiers and boost morale.
The camp gradually took on the appearance of a military camp, and the soldiers' morale gradually improved, no longer as listless as before.
Three days later, a contingent from Bangalore arrived at the headquarters of the 94th Infantry Regiment, led by Lieutenant Colonel Wolf, a close confidant of Colonel Richard, and accompanied by several military judges.
Without any further pleasantries, they set up a temporary military court at the regimental headquarters and summoned Lieutenant Colonel Leowood on the spot.
With conclusive evidence and at Colonel Richard's behest, Leowood was quickly convicted of withholding supplies and soliciting and accepting bribes.
The military court pronounced its verdict in court, sentencing Lieutenant Colonel Leowood to death by hanging, to be carried out immediately.
When the noose around Leowood's neck was placed, his face was filled with remorse and fear, but there was nothing he could do.
After Leowood's execution, Colonel Richard quickly appointed a new quartermaster, Lieutenant Colonel White Smith.
Lieutenant Colonel Smith was cautious and efficient, and he was well aware of the relationship between Colonel Richard and Dugan. He readily agreed to all of Dugan's requests for supplies and fully cooperated with them.
Whether it's military rations, clothing, or weapons and tents, he would allocate them to the Second Battalion immediately whenever needed, never delaying or withholding anything.
With ample supplies and gradually improving military discipline, the soldiers' morale is rising daily.
Dugan stood on the high platform of the camp, looking at the neatly lined-up, spirited soldiers of the Second Battalion, and a sense of accomplishment welled up in his heart.